FEDERAL AGENCIES guide

FEDERAL AGENCIES guide

Join us in celebrating public service recognition week WHAT IS PUBLIC SERVICE RECOGNITION WEEK? Celebrated the first full week in May since 1985, Public Service Recognition Week (PSRW) is a time set aside to honor the men and women who serve our nation as federal, state, county and local government employees. Throughout the nation and the world, public servants use this occasion to educate others about the work they do and why they have chosen public service careers, as well as the many ways government services make life better for all of us. RESOURCES TO HELP YOU We hope you will join the Partnership for Public Service and the Public Employees Roundtable (PER) in this year s PSRW celebration. The Partnership and PER understand that federal agencies have very limited budgets, time and space to carry out a PSRW celebration. We developed this guide to share examples of low-cost ways your agency can celebrate Public Service Recognition Week. Many of the ideas are simple, fun and inexpensive. Others require more coordination, planning and preparation. Whatever you do, it s a step toward public servants receiving the respect and appreciation they deserve. GOALS OF PSRW During PSRW, the Partnership and PER hope that public employees use the week to educate citizens about the work they do and why they have chosen public service careers, as well as the many ways government services make life better for the American people. Specifically, the goals of the program are to: Connect and educate citizens nationwide to the work of their government. Improve the perception and morale of federal workers and other public servants. Help inspire a new generation of public servants. PSRW Messages PSRW is the perfect time to inform the American people about what public employees do, why they do it and how well they do it. Additionally, we want to foster pride among public servants and introduce the public to the wide range of employment opportunities in government. The following are key messages to use during PSRW: Government workers are doing important work that positively affects all of us every day. Government needs people like you to address the incredible challenges our nation is facing. Public servants deserve thanks for working diligently on our behalf. Government service is public service. FOR MORE INFORMATION Email publicemployeesroundtable@gmail.com for more information about PSRW. Complete program details are also available at psrw.org For more online resources, including quick facts about public service, sample talking points, PSRW logos and details of PSRW events, visit psrw.org.

Employee recognition activities At the heart of Public Service Recognition Week is the opportunity to invigorate government workers by offering them the thanks they richly deserve but seldom receive. During this week-long celebration, it s important to honor public employees and tell them their dedication and service are noticed and appreciated. Awards PSRW is an ideal time to recognize outstanding individual employees, teams of employees or programs. Awards programs and peer awards effectively demonstrate that government can be effective and that excellence is the rule rather than the exception. You can show appreciation to: Government employees who have served a distinguished career in public service. Government employees, teams or groups who donate their personal time to activities that benefit the community. Volunteers from the community who donate their time to assist your agency. Example: For more than 40 years, the Baltimore Federal Executive Board has recognized outstanding regional federal employees in an awards ceremony and luncheon held annually during PSRW. The awards honor more than 200 Maryland federal employees and service members in 19 different job excellence categories. The event is attended by more than 1,000 federal officials, employees and military service members, family members and guests. Award nominations are submitted to the FEB in January each year. The awardees are selected by a screening committee of Maryland federal employees who choose the Silver Award finalists and a blue ribbon panel of private-sector executives who select the Gold winners. Agency employees nominated for an award will receive either a Gold, Silver or Bronze award. Other Employee Recognition Ideas Organize an employee appreciation event or rally, including remarks from agency heads, elected officials or local celebrities. Hold an appreciation breakfast, picnic or ice cream social. Consider co-hosting with your local Combined Federal Campaign, which will help boost attendance, promote CFC and honor the generosity of federal employees. Encourage your agency leaders to blog or tweet (#PSRW) about the importance of public service. Display PSRW banners thanking agency employees inside and outside of your building. Create an online thank you card and invite employees and the public to write what public service means to them. Include the PSRW logo on your agency s website and use it in agency communications throughout the week. Create PSRW posters and display them in your office, lobby and cafeteria. Present each employee with a certificate of gratitude. Use your agency or employee print and electronic newsletters to publicize PSRW and the accomplishments of agency employees.

12 No-Cost and Low-Cost Ways to Recognize Public Servants Suggested by USDA 1. Give Certificates of Appreciation for serving our nation. 2. Post a Thank You on your agency website. 3. Hold a special Staff Meeting acknowledging public service as a whole and your team s contributions. 4. Hold scheduled Open Office Hours and invite employees to stop by and be personally acknowledged. 5. Send an email thank you note or thank you card to your staff acknowledging accomplishments of your division, agency or office. 6. Schedule a mid-day coffee break in your office. 7. Visit your employees offices/cubicles (or send a personal email) to thank them for their work and contributions. 8. Post a thank you note on an employees door/ cubicle/computer. 9. Establish a place to display memos, posters, and photos recognizing progress towards goals and thanking employees for their help. 10. Display a large poster in all offices, for everyone to see, recognizing the work that is done for the public. 11. Make a list of all the ways in which your office helps the American people and post this on the wall. 12. Post pictures of the nation where your employees have had an influence.

PSRW. ORG 1100 New York Ave NW Suite 200 East Washington DC 20005 (202) 775-9111 ourpublicservice.org CFC# 12110